Moonwalk: The Michael Jackson Tribute
by Western Sky
Summary: Two weeks ago, New Directions lost Regionals. Today, Principal Figgins announces the pending withdrawal of their glee club. Is this the end for New Directions?
1. Foreword

_**Moonwalk**_**:** the unofficial "Glee" episode, dedicated to Michael Jackson.

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own "Glee" or any of it cast, crew or storylines. This is pure fandom and I am simply a fan (actually, a huge Gleek) of the show! After seeing season 1's "The Power of Madonna" episode, I could think of only one other artist I'd love to see get the same treatment – so, I decided to take it upon myself to create the whole story myself. Michael Jackson was history-making in so many ways and I believe that, if "Glee" were to give him a tribute too, it'd be pure amazing stuff. So, until then, I hope you enjoy my version of an MJ-themed episode, and hopefully one day this actually might become a reality!

**[-]**

**Title: **Moonwalk  
**  
Author: **Western Sky (at FanFiction), Vocal Adrenaline (at GleeForum), thegleekclique (at YouTube)

**Short Summary: **Two weeks ago, New Directions lost Regionals. Today, Principal Figgins announces the pending withdrawal of their glee club. Is this the end for New Directions?

**Full Summary: **After failing to win Regionals, the McKinley High glee club is faced with the imminent demise of their show choir as part of Will Schuester's (Matthew Morrison) original deal with Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) at the start of term. Now the musical team are forced to part ways unless they can find a way to make Figgins see sense and allow them to stay. So, when Will realizes that the date coincides with the one-year anniversary of the King of Pop's death, he appoints one last attempt at keeping New Directions together by assigning them the history-making music and style of the one and only Michael Jackson.

**[-]**

**Fictional "Moonwalk" Track List:  
**(in alphabetical order, not by appearance)****

– Bad/Beat It _(performed by New Directions, the Cheerios & WMHS Football Team)  
_– Billie Jean _(instrumental dance routine performed by Kurt Hummel)_  
– Black Or White _(performed by Mercedes Jones)_  
– Don't Stop Til You Get Enough/Shake Your Body (To The Ground) _(performed by New Directions)_  
– Man In The Mirror_ (performed by New Directions)_  
– P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) _(performed by Artie Abrams & Tina Cohen-Chang)_  
– Remember The Time_ (performed by Will Schuester, Terri Schuester & Emma Pillsbury)_  
– Smooth Criminal _(performed by Sue Sylvester)_  
– The Way You Make Me Feel _(performed by Rachel Berry & Finn Hudson)_  
– They Don't Care About Us _(performed by New Directions)_  
– Thriller _(performed by New Directions)_  
– Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' _(performed by Noah "Puck" Puckerman & Quinn Fabray)_

**[-]**

**Please note: **The idea and concept storyline behind this Michael Jackson "Glee" episode was made originated entirely by me. Although I claim no ownership of the characters, locations and of-course the music, the fan-made story, plot and premise has been constructed from my own thorough planning, thoughts and design only. Please do not reproduce my work. (...unless you're Ryan Murphy; in that case, feel free to fly me to America to help produce the episode, haha!)


	2. History

**Chapter 1: **History

Knock, knock.

Will Schuester rapped on the wooden door to Principal Figgins' office. The teacher poked his head inside and immediately looked towards his boss' desk.

"You, uh, wanted to see me, mister Figgins?"

"Ah, Shue!" The balding headmaster exclaimed. "Come in. Sit, sit."

Will nervously entered the room and closed the door behind him. He stepped forward and sat down in front of Principal Figgins, who was scribbling notes.

"William," Figgins started, finally putting his pen down and looking up at Will, "congratulations on placing at Regionals."

The curly-haired teacher immediately broke out into a smile. "Thanks, sir. To be honest, I didn't think they could top Don't Stop Believing again," he paused to laugh, "but they did it." The pride and excitement was evident on Will's face. His grin, however, quickly faded as his thoughts quickly caught up with him. "But, uh, didn't you hear the news?"

"That New Directions lost? Of-course!" Figgins said quickly.

"Oh."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Shue."

Will couldn't help but eye him warily.

"I have some bad news, William," Figgins went on, "I'm forced to cut glee club."

"What?"

Of all things, that was something the glee director had not expected to hear.

"My hands are tied, Will."

"Wait, what? Why? How? We placed at Regionals!"

"But you didn't win."

Will hesitated. Figgins was right. His club didn't win the competition a fortnight ago, which meant they had forfeited their position at the school. The teacher was in too much shock to say anything else, until he remembered something. "Hold on, that's not true."

Figgins tried to speak, but Will persisted.

"I mean, they didn't win, that part is true. But how can you cut glee? I thought the deal was we had to _place_ at Regionals, regardless of the result?"

"Ah, Shue," Figgins crooned, "I'm sorry. But Alcoholics Anonymous is still desperate to use the area."

"But I thought I'd proven myself since we made that deal, sir? I, uh, how do I tell the kids? This, uh..."

"I love the glee club, William. But it's that time of year again, and when it comes down to it, cuts have to be made where cuts have to be made. New Directions has had a successful year; one that William McKinley will remember. But it's time to move on."

"I'm sorry, mister Figgins," Will's voice cracked, "but I don't see how that's fair. I thought we were passed this already. My kids have done more than just become successful since June last year, sir. They won Sectionals. They helped the football team win a game last season. And they were on a Mattress Land commercial, remember?"

"That's the point. They bring in too much revenue for the school. As they become more popular, the more high-priced they get; the costumes, the sets, and that's not even including the copyright privileges to perform each song. We just can't afford the extra expenses anymore."

"What about another bake sale? A car wash? The kids raised all the money on their own last time. I don't understand why we can't come up with the money for glee anymore."

"Once again my hands are tied, Will."

"Look, just give me one more chance. How about a performance? Yes, we can hold another Invitational! A final chance for New Directions to perform. If they raise enough money, we stay. If they don't, call it their final bow."

Will knew he was taking a huge chance with this proposition, especially since he hadn't even suggested it to the students yet, but his mouth went faster than his mind – plus, he didn't have much time to do anything else about it. Meanwhile, Figgins stayed silent. After what felt like fifteen minutes to Will, the principal finally spoke again.

"Alright, deal."

Will punched the air excitedly.

"_But_ the result is final. If the Invitational fund doesn't raise enough money, glee club is over. I will oversee the rehearsals and I want the kids to perform the numbers for me beforehand."

Will seemed complacent.

"Besides," Figgins continued, "I'm only agreeing to this so I can hear those sweet sounding harmonizers again. I actually like their teen pop hits and show tunes. It's unfortunate our budget is so restricted."

"Thanks, sir. I promise you, we will do this. New Directions is here to stay."

[...]

"Figgins is cutting glee club."

The sentence was met with an eruption of gasps and even screams from the twelve-cast glee club as Will broke Principal Figgins' news to them.

"Oh hell no!" Mercedes Jones piped up. "Why?"

"It's not that bad. Actually, it's because you guys _are_ so successful that the cut has to be made." Will tried to sound positive. "And unfortunately, you didn't make Regionals – _which_, might I add, isn't such a big deal. If anything, it'll make us more determined to succeed next time!"

"Excuse me, mister Shue," the blonde cheerleader Brittany raised her hand, "but we _won_ Regionals."

Fellow Cheerio member Santana Lopez looked at Brittany. "Uh, no we didn't."

"But we have the trophy." Brittany pointed at the large trophy kept on a shelf in the choir room.

"That's from _Sectionals_, Brittany."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Will shook his head, "I do have some good news."

However, before Will could continue he caught sight of Rachel Berry. Quite frankly, she looked as if she'd just been stabbed several times over. Tears had soaked her cheeks, and she sobbed loudly as she played with the hem of her checked skirt. By now, the rest of the glee club had noticed her too.

"We're all shocked, but alas the drama queen never fails to take centre stage," Kurt Hummel murmured.

"Rachel," Will pressed on, "it's okay. Figgins gave us a proposal."

Rachel instantly bolted upright. "I'm listening!"

**To be continued...**


	3. The Lost Children

**Chapter 2: **The Lost Children

"So, we're starting from scratch with glee club?" Noah 'Puck' Puckerman questioned.

"But we've worked so hard." Tina Cohen-Chang muttered.

"Not exactly," Will responded to Puck. Will had just finished explaining the deal with Principal Figgins to the glee club, aware of their surprise and distress. "All we gotta do is raise enough money between now and our fundraiser performance, then Figgins will consider keeping glee."

"And if we don't?" Wheelchair-bound Artie Abrams asked.

"I'll die!" Rachel shouted dramatically.

"We go back to being Lima losers," Mercedes motioned, "but I guess it won't be all that bad for some of us." She glanced in the direction of Puck, Santana, Brittany and other members Matt Rutherford, Mike Chang, Quinn Fabray and Finn Hudson. Mercedes had just inclined that they'd all go back to their jock, footballer and cheerleader statuses after glee, while the remaining team would go back to being outsiders.

"Exactly," Kurt waved, "my facial pores can't handle anymore slushies."

"Hey," Quinn straightened, "not all of us will go back to how we were before all this. Glee club is the only place I feel accepted now." She lowered her head and fondled a small bundle in her arms. She'd given birth to her love child shortly after their Regionals performance two weeks ago. "I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I don't wanna leave glee club just as much as you."

"Guys," Will pressured, "I'm convinced that we'll ease on down that road of success, just so long as you're all willing to help put in that extra effort."

"Mister Shue," Rachel stood up, "my advanced training in theatre studies ensures we will pass. However, I believe the biggest challenge is choosing the right music. Of-course, my life-long skills in the field have taught me that music is the key. Think of Somebody To Love and Proud Mary; a number that's big and complex will make an impact on the audience. It's as easy as one, two, three!"

"Good, Rachel," Will nodded, "that's all good, except we can't do stuff we've done before. It'll be too repetitive. We need something fresh, bold, but captivating, all at the same time." He rubbed his hands together and breathed out. "So, that is why you're assignment this week is to pair up. I want you to come up with a great musical number each. Feel free to choose your songs from whatever, whoever and whenever you want; I want the 90s, the 60s, Celine, Britney, even Pantera."

At this, Finn's eyes lit up.

"Just be as creative as you can," Will smiled, "I want to impress, as well as raise money. We've gotta show Ohio that even though we lost Regionals, New Directions won't back down, and we're coming back – bigger, stronger and better than before!"

The excitement between the glee club instantly increased.

"Now, who's with me?"

The New Directions suddenly erupted in energetic cheers.

"Shhh!" Quinn covered her baby's ears.

**To be continued...**


	4. State Of Shock

**Chapter 3: **State Of Shock

"Finn," Rachel chased behind him after class, "as co-captain of glee, I was wondering if you'd like to partner with me for this week's assignment?"

"Uh," Finn hesitated.

"Good!" Rachel clasped her hands happily, wasting no time. "I overheard Artie and Tina's plan to do Grace Kelly, and I'm pretty sure Brittany and Santana are trying to come up with a Spice Girls number. _So_, I thought I'd run some ideas by you for our song!" She grinned madly. "With our combined vocals we're bound to get a standing ovation at the Invitational. Therefore, what do you think of," she paused to create an awkward suspense, "the Kings of Leon's version of Sex On Fire?"

Without waiting for an answer, the fast-talking girl quickly carried on, "Push It proved that sex sells, so I figured why not try it again. Plus, Anthony Followill's vocal range matches yours perfectly."

Finn blinked. "Um," he seemed confused. Finn had never been one of the brightest kids at school. "Sure. It, uh, sounds great, Rachel."

"Wonderful! I'll find the sheet music and we can start practice tomorrow. Like mister Shue said, glee club will not be shut down." She paused. "Not while I'm in it anyway. See you later, Finn." Rachel turned to strut down the corridor, leaving the quarterback with a perplexed look on his face.

[...]

Will stared absent-mindedly across the room from his desk. His thoughts ran wild as he processed all the information Principal Figgins had given him earlier. The teacher had put so much work into creating New Directions over the past year, and he'd given the glee kids too much joy, hope and optimism to just throw it all away so easily. He momentarily reflected on the past before his train of thought was suddenly broken by a soft voice.

"Will," Emma Pillsbury stood in the doorway. Her beautiful hair was perfectly positioned over her shoulders and her plaid dress seemed completely crease-free. Will immediately smiled upon seeing his colleague. "I thought I might find you here." She slowly stepped into the room, her voice sounded nervous. "Ken told me about Figgins' decision to budget-cut glee."

Will sighed.

"Don't worry," Emma added, "he also told me about the deal you made. It's the talk of the school at the moment."

A brief silence followed. Emma eyed Will. She knew him well enough to know that he was concerned.

"Will," she encouraged, "after seeing how the kids performed at Sectionals, I know they can do this. You have nothing to worry about."

"I'm just a little upset," Will finally said. "I'm upset, and quite frankly, I'm surprised. I didn't expect Figgins to actually go through with his decision to cut the club, especially after everything we've been through." Will stopped to think. "It just doesn't make any sense."

Emma tried to smile positively, "Maybe it's been a little while since Figgins' saw glee club perform? I don't think he's seen a show since the assembly. Maybe after he sees their talent again he'll change his mind, regardless of the money raised."

Will lowered his head, unsure.

"Will," she carried on, "glee club is unlike any other club at McKinley High School. Whether they won Regionals or not, those kids have something that separates them from the Cheerios or the football team." She paused. "They have you."

A smile formed on Will's face.

"And I'm happy to help guide the fundraiser, if you want?" Emma offered. "After all, I am a chaperone for the club."

A second silence resumed. Over time, tension had gradually formed between the two teachers following an attempt to start a relationship after Will divorced his wife.

"Thanks," Will broke the silence. "But something Rachel mentioned earlier has got me thinking. The songs they sing have to mean something. They need to relate to the music. It can't just be any old tune."

"Well, you have a week to think of something. You've come up with sheet music faster than that before, haven't you?"

"I guess I'd better start getting organized then, hey? This time next week I might not even be here." He forced laughed.

"Hey," Will remembered, "I wonder what Sue thinks about all this."

[...]

"You think this is hard?" The booming voice of Sue Sylvester echoed inside the gymnasium at William McKinley High School. "Try being castrated. That's hard!"

Sue lowered the megaphone and looked out at the Cheerios, who had just finished practising a cheerleading routine. "Hit the showers!"

Behind her, Will had entered the gym and was making his way over to the coach.

"Oh hey Will," Sue turned around, "I thought I could smell the stench of oil. It must be all that lacquer in your hair."

"Thanks, Sue," Will had come to ignore Sue's insults, "I just came to see if you'd heard about --"

"Glee club's death? I sure have!" Sue interjected with a toothy grin.

"No," Will highlighted, "about glee's second chance."

"I didn't think something could die twice," Sue muttered.

"Well, I wanted to tell you that McKinley High hasn't heard the last of my glee club. Figgins is letting us hold a fundraiser as a last bid, and so far things are looking optimistic." Will responded spitefully, "I'm sure you're just _ecstatic_ to hear about that, aren't you, Sue?"

"William. Will. Willy." Sue brooded, "Apart from the fact that the bunch of scoundrels you call a club has to beg for money to keep their programme running, but I saw their routine at Regionals and, as a highly respected judge, I can tell you that it was _awful_. Unfortunately their sickly sweet smiles aren't going to fool everybody forever."

By now, both Sue and Will were inches away from each other, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Sue, you only give me extra willpower to prove you wrong," Will snarled, "and it wouldn't be the first time."

"Bring it, William."

"Oh, it's already bought."

With that, the glee club director spun on his heel and exited the gymnasium, and for the first time he felt satisfied that he'd triumph against Sue and even Figgins.

"Yeah," Sue called after him, "well, you walk away! Yeah."

She lowered her voice, "Freak."

**To be continued...**


	5. Ease On Down The Road

**Chapter 4: **Ease On Down The Road

Will entered the choir room after his row with Sue to find a few glee members mingling around. His already satisfied smile immediately grew bigger at the sight of them all paired up and preparing their songs.

Tina and Artie practised their vocal ranges, while Mercedes and Kurt grooved to their iPods. Rachel and Quinn, however, sat together on the step, both admiring the new baby. The others – Brittany, Santana, Finn, Matt, Mike and Puck – were at cheerleading and football practise respectively.

"Mister Shue," Artie wheeled towards the teacher, "I'm feeling confident about the Invitational already. I heard Mercedes practise before and her belt is stronger than ever."

"That's great, Artie," Will grinned, "I'm feeling positive too." He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and then proceeded to speak aloud. "Guys, I'm impressed with the determination you've showed. You all got to work straight away on your assignments, and that shows true dedication to glee club." Will breathed a sigh of relief. "I really appreciate it. I'm now even more confident that _we can do this_!"

"We _can't_ do this!"

The voice of Santana emerged from the entrance. The remaining members were standing behind her. Santana looked enraged.

"Why? What happened?" Rachel frowned.

The cheerleader stepped aside to reveal Brittany, who had a large stain of blueberry slushie all over her chest and in her hair. The sight was met with several gasps from the other glee kids.

Brittany shivered, "It feels like the time I dipped my face into a paint bucket."

"Why did this happen?" Will asked.

"Well, we were walking back from Cheerios practise," Brittany started.

[...]

Only a few minutes earlier, the two cheerleaders had just come from the gymnasium and were on their way to the choir room.

"Ew," Santana dropped her cell phone into her pocket, "that creepy Joseph Katherine guy just attempted to sext me." She rolled her eyes. "No way, loser."

Brittany walked closely beside her friend. "No way," she repeated.

"So," Santana changed the topic, "I'm thinking our cover of the Spice Girls' Who Do You Think You Are is gonna be _hot_."

"Really hot."

_SPLASH!_

Without warning, a passing footballer threw a slushie at the pair, which king-hit Brittany in the face. Santana, however, wasn't sure whether to laugh or be shocked.

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut from the frozen pain.

"Really cold."

Across the hall, the footballers of glee club were on their way back from the locker room when they witnessed the slushie attack too.

[...]

Back in the choir room, Brittany had finished explaining what happened, much to the surprise of the other glee members.

"Everybody hates us!" Puck suddenly pushed through the others and into the room. "I just dodged seven different slushies on my way down that corridor. This is not the way I roll."

"Everyone knows about Principal Figgins' budget cut!" Finn shouted.

"And miss Sylvester just gave _these_ to the Cheerios," Santana held up a flyer, "they came straight off the photocopier."

Will stepped forward and took the piece of paper from Santana's hand.

The flyer read: "Don't Stop Believing In Glee Club", except the word "Don't" had a red cross through it. The poster basically read: "Stop Believing In Glee Club".

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Will murmured under his breath.

"We can't afford for miss Sylvester to bring us down like this," Mike complained. "No pun intended."

"Look," Will settled, "when _hasn't_ Sue tried to get rid of us? We just have to look passed this incident and focus on getting the thumbs-up from Figgins."

"Mister Shue's right," Quinn chimed, "I've had my fair share of hurdles with miss Sylvester over the years, and one thing I've learned is not to take everything she says to heart."

"That's kind of an issue when she practically controls everything around here," Kurt argued. "I heard a rumour she bribed Principal Figgins into reducing her suspension after Sectionals."

"Not to mention the emotional trouble she caused me after I joined Cheerios." Mercedes added, "I may be strong and proud of whom I am, but I still remember what she said to me every time I look into a mirror."

"Guys, hold it," Will urged. "We're running off track here. Okay, for the next fifteen minutes, I want you to plan and rehearse this week's assignment in your pairs. Brittany, clean up. The rest of you, take your minds off of what just happened. This is exactly what Sue wants to take place. We can't let her – or anybody else, for that matter – distract us like it has. Keep your head in the game."

The glee kids vaguely nodded in agreement as they split into their groups.

"Mister Shue," Kurt started for Will. "I was, uh, wondering if Mercedes and I can go to the auditorium to rehearse. We kinda need a bit more space than what we have in here at the moment."

"Sure, Kurt," Will grinned. "That sounds exciting."

"Thanks. Feel free to come watch if you like. It's not much, but the basics of our choreography are there. We just haven't finalized any lyrics yet."

"It sounds great." Will was pleased. "We may as well head on over now. I'm sure the others will be okay if we left them for a few minutes."

Kurt turned around and gave Mercedes a thumbs-up.

[...]

A couple of minutes later, the three had set up in the auditorium.

"Okay," Kurt said as he positioned himself centre stage, "Mercedes has been working on re-writing the lyrics, so all we have for now is the dance number. But we want this to be epic, so we'd love to hear your thoughts on what we have before we go on."

"Good work, guys. Let's see it from the top."

Will excitedly took a seat in the front row and looked up at the stage, where Kurt placed one hand on his hip and posed with his back turned to Will. Side-stage, Mercedes prepared the music.

"Hit it!" Kurt ordered.

The lights instantly dimmed and a single spotlight lit up Kurt's position on the stage. Then, the bass of a familiar beat vibrated the walls. Michael Jackson's renowned hit – Billie Jean – played loudly over the speakers as Kurt began thrusting his hips to every beat.

Will immediately grinned.

The music played on as Kurt started to dance and gyrate across the stage, using every Michael Jackson based dance move he could. Will couldn't help but tap his feet and click his fingers throughout the entire number. The song continued as an instrumental piece, while Kurt's impulsive moonwalk impressed Will, who couldn't take his eyes off Kurt's entire arrangement.

It was then that Will had a spontaneous idea.

**To be continued...**


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